This is what I was asked yesterday when a breeder called and questioned me as to whether our meat patties were adequate to feed a pregnant bitch. She was concerned because the label indicates that the diet is only 12% protein. It is a legitimate question and an explanation needs to be given.

It all boils down to the amount of moisture in the diet. Most dry feed diets contain approximately 10% moisture whereas a natural raw meat diet contains approximately 70% moisture. In order to make an apples to apples comparison you must first reduce the diet to it’s dry matter basis. Once you have done this you realize that the protein level is in the 35% range based on a dry matter basis. This is the only way to make a fair comparison.

This also explains why a dog that eats a raw meat diet doesn’t need the same amount of water to drink. He/she is getting his/her natural supply of water from the food. This water source is far more utilized than drinking from an external water source.

Another reason the raw diet is beneficial is because of the toxic mineral levels in some of the city water supplies. Many diseases such as hyperthyroidism can be linked to the deficient Iodine levels in the nations drinking water. Long term ingestion of the toxins and deficient minerals has led to many illnesses.

Rest assure that the BARF patties provide adequate levels of nutrition for growth and reproduction purposes. The mom is healthy, has lots of milk, and produces excellent litters.

Be sure to follow the feeding instructions on the package to produce the proper nutrition levels for pregnancy issues.